The Football League Previews 2010/11 – Part 3: The Championship

In the last of three twohundredpercent Football League season previews (compiled before tonight’s match between Norwich City and Watford), Rob Freeman previews the Championship, predicts one of the relegated Premier League sides bouncing straight back up, consolidation for two of the promoted sides, and notices how little transfer activity there is compared to the rest of the league, and how the quality has dropped – again – in the second tier.

With Hull and Portsmouth’s reported financial problems, and none of the playoff runners-up taking advantage by strengthening their squad, this division seems exceptionally weak (but also extremely tight). It also looks like Burnley’s title to lose. For a start, they’ve been able to keep most of their squad together, and the players they’ve lose, they’ve been able to replace with similar quality, they didn’t appear to overspend last season, and in losing Steve Fletcher, they gained Chris Iwelumo and enough money to fund a push, should they find themselves outside the top two.

Steve Coppell’s back, and has kept most of Gary Johnson’s side together. Coppell has replaced Bradley Orr with Nicky Hunt, and added Cisse, Stewart and Vokes to the spine of the side. The biggest signing, is of course, David James, and while that wouldn’t normally be enough to push a side into the top two, it may be just enough to tip the balance into the Robins’ favour.

3. Nottingham Forest

Last Season: 3rd Manager: Billy Davies (appointed December 2008)

In: Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea, loan until January 2011)

Out: James Perch (Newcastle United)

The quietest team in the division, transferwise. Bertrand replaces the departing Perch in defence, apart from that Billy Davies keeps faith with the side that failed at the play-off stage last season. Ordinarily a side that doesn’t strengthen falls backwards, but so many sides in this division have weakened this season, that keeping consistent is as good as strengthening.

One of the few sides that have made a number of good signings this season, even if none of them are outstanding. Neil Warnock’s main task has been improving the defence, and raiding former clubs to add Kenny, Derry and Hill to the squad. The one downside is that Warnock tends to favour playing three strikers, and having three more on the bench, but only Helguson looks capable of producing the goods.

Aidy Boothroyd arrives, which means that entertaining football departs, as he strips the sport down to it’s most neanderthalic level. In come three forwards, with Platt’s aerial ability integral to Boothroyd’s system. Jutkiewicz and O’Donovan seem strange arrivals on the face of it, as both have had weak spells on loan to League One. McSheffrey will provide a little skill on the left, but the star signing is Lee Carsley. His best days may be behind him, but at this level, he will add much needed organisation, strength and steel into the Coventry midfield. The Sky Blues will be this season’s dark horses.

Another side that have been fairly quiet in the transfer market are Roy Keane’s Ipswich. Ipswich improved after a slow start last season, and Ipswich’s two most troubled areas were left back and in goal – they may have only scored 50 goals, but they had the most shots on target for the division. Mark Kennedy adds to the options for the former, and while Brian Murphy appeared to have been the answer in goal, Marton Fulop has been added to the squad for £750k. With Keane promising at least one more signing up front, the Blues look likely to be pushing for the play-offs.

Something about Gordon Strachan’s tenure at Middlesbrough doesn’t convince me – and in the main it’s been the recruits from Scotland, some of whom have failed to impress in previous spells in England. Strachan has continued that trend with all but two of his signings. Kris Boyd will get fewer chances, and find it tougher to score against Championship defences, but Nicky Bailey is the best signing, and a player who has experience of this division with Charlton, but has also matured in his season in League One.

Cardiff’s financial situation is still unclear, but there are suggestions that despite money coming in for Joe Ledley, more players need to be sold. With only Ledley gone, but Koumas brought in on loan to replace him, Cardiff will start the season as strong as they finished it, but if the reports of their financial situation are true, they may have to cash in on the likes of Michael Chopra and Peter Whittingham, and as a result, they’re likely to tail off at the end of the season.

Rodgers didn’t impress in his time as manager as Reading, and while Paulo Sousa left the Swans with a great defence, the two arrivals aren’t here to add to the poor scoring record as a team. With very few strikers on the books, and a change in the coaching team, last season’s defence might not repeat their exploits from last season.

Another side not making many additions are the Royals. However, despite their late season form, they are one side who needed a spark or two to be added over the summer, instead they’ve added two fullbacks to a side who needed a few extra goals, and not replaced Kalifa Cisse’s versatility..

A new manager brings in just three new players. Kennedy will need time to adjust to this division, and the Portugese signings will lot of time to adjust to the pace and style of the Championship, but the biggest loss will be that of Nigel Pearson. The Foxes won’t struggle, but they’re not going to get into the play-offs again.

Unknown territory for Paul Lambert, not just the Championship, but also having a second season as manager of the club. Surman and Ward are the only two signings who have experience at this level, and the rest will all have to step up together with the existing squad. This could become an exciting side, but they will take time to get it together, and may even struggle over the autumn, but come the end of the season, the Canaries will be safe in their first season back up.

A similar story of the signings for Derby County. Gareth Roberts has a wealth of experience to add to the side, but Nigel Clough has built a very good first team, but the squad seems weak. Clough has made a lot of signings from the lower divisions in the last eighteen months that just haven’t worked out, and Bailey and Brayford need to be the ones to start bucking that trend.

The Blades have lost a lot of quality and a lot of experience, and Blackwell hasn’t really replaced it. The signing of Kozluk seems a step back (unless Blackwell is looking to add him to the coaching staff in the future), and the other permanent signings don’t seem as strong as the players they’re replacing. Nyron Nosworthy should help shore the defence up, but a play-off challenge like last season, seems out of the question.

Rumours of the financial situation range between “poor” and “catastrophic”, and their transfer policy reflects it. They’ve had to jettison almost an entire team, and their two signings aren’t ones to build a promotion hunt on. Harper will appreciate the move, as he looks to recapture the form he had at Reading, but Solano was as much a peripehery as you’d expect a 34 year old winger to be. Appointing Nigel Pearson as manager may be the best move the club made over the summer, but he won’t be able to prevent a lower mid-table finish.

Leeds spluttered over the line in League One’s promotion race, and Simon Grayson has gone for consolidation over a promotion challenge, and the decision is wise. Most of the incomers were squad players for other Championship sides, and all have something to prove, and there are question marks over Billy Paynter after his unproductive spell at this level with Hull, not to mention Kasper Schmeichel having not looked convincing in his spells at Cardiff and Coventry two years ago.

Some interesting signings for George Burley, but administration meant the loss of a number of Palace’s more important players, such as Shaun Derry and Clint Hill. David Wright will be an important signing with his defensive versatility, but there are questions over Julian Bennett’s fitness and Owen Garvan’s temperament.

A couple of losses to Sheffield United notwithstanding, Barnsley have had a productive close season. One thing Mark Robins has done well for at Oakwell, is bringing in so-called rejects from the higher Championship sides and using them as cornerstones of his team. Darren Moore and Jon Macken go, Jay McEveley, Jason Shackell and Liam Dickinson arrive. It’s been successful in terms of keeping them away from relegation, and there’s no reason why it can’t happen again.

Nigel Adkins has worked miracles since his promotion to manager, and they’ll continue. With so many clubs feeling the pinch, the Iron just need to play within themselves, and not get complacent to stay up, and the signings are as you would expect. Gary Hooper has gone north of the border, but Bobby Grant and Chris Dagnall are brought in to add goals, the only other major departee is Marcus Williams, but he’s replaced by Jim McNulty.

The loss of Jay DeMerit and Jon Harley are important, as they haven’t really been replaced – Tom Aldred is the only defensive signing, and he’s way too inexperienced to build a defence around. There isn’t much in the way of firepower at Vicarage Road, and like Derby, the squad outside of the first eleven isn’t strong. Unlike Derby, the first eleven doesn’t seem that strong.

Sean O’Driscoll has performed miracles, both here and at Bournemouth, but this season could well be the biggest test of his managerial career. The club haven’t lost any of their most important players, but the signings aren’t what you’d want if you were looking for a successful relegation battle. That said, there are clubs with other problems, and that in itself should be enough for Rovers to stay up.

Lots of incoming signings, but most of them have been released by their previous clubs, and none of the signings are really great ones. They’ve not really lost any quality, but with their finances being in a tricky situation, and their shares being suspended, and rumours of administration, off the field uncertainty may overwhelm the season at Deepdale, and relegation is a distinct possibility.

Kenny Jackett has a great record in League One, but this is his first venture into the Championship, and the signings are uninspiring. Batt didn’t look great last season with Peterborough, and at 27 years old, it’s a bit late for Tamika Mkandawire to make his Championship bow. Kevin Lisbie has been brought in for goals, which is something he’s only managed with real success once in this division. The Lions are one of those sides who are likely to be better equipped for this division after they’ve gone back down and come straight back up.

Where else can you put them? Despite the CVA being passed, the financial situation still isn’t clear, with Balram Chanrai still seeming to distance himself from the club. Until a buyer is found, the administrator will run the club in the interest of the creditors, and that’s likely to mean as little expenditure as possible, and with a squad of just fourteen starting the season, being solvent and functioning as a club is a bigger aim that Championship survivial.

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Ian

Ian began writing Twohundredpercent in May 2006. He lives in Brighton. He has also written for, amongst others, Pitch Invasion, FC Business Magazine, The Score, When Saturday Comes, Stand Against Modern Football and The Football Supporter. Ian was the first winner of the Socrates Award For Not Being Dead Yet at the 2010 NOPA awards for football bloggers.

I’d expect to see Millwall safe and Doncaster in mid-table. Donny play attractive football well, they finished where they did last season for a reason and should look to build on that.

As an Ipswich fan, I’d bite your hand off if you offered us 6th at the moment. I’d expect us around 13th or 14th at the moment with Norwich a few places below us around 17th. As you said; Norwich haven’t got players or a manager with experience at this level and although they’re a very good League 1 team, they won’t be as good in the Championship as some hype them up to be. The clubs around them fell over each other to avoid winning the League 1 title last season, after all… Meanwhile, we seem to lack a right back (currently playing Peters there, but he’s a winger), look set to sell our Captain Jon Walters (RW), have no obvious LW in the absence of Civelli who’s currently in the middle of returning from a 16 month spell out injured, and of course, no-one who can put the ball in the net. Well, other than Wickham, but it’s a lot of pressure for a 17 year old.

@burwellian: To be honest, that’s a reflection of the division, more than Ipswich. Before I sorted the teams in “finishing” order, I had Ipswich marked as “upper mid table” (as were every side from Coventry to Swansea to ninth), but then I had Forest and QPR as “just outside playoffs”. There just doesn’t look to be any real quality at the top end of the division, it’s very much like 2007-2008 when West Brom won the title with 81 points.

For the record, I am also an Ipswich fan, and people may think that there’s an element of bias, but maybe it’s a case of knowing our better than others.

A couple of decent matches at centre back in Reading’s Premier League sojourn do vouch for Kalifa Cisse’s versatility but Reading won’t miss his inability to trap and pass a ball. A good point about the failure to strengthen though.